WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 110: Sentinel

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They couldn't set off late at night without any preparation.

Elbridge's group returned to the Corner Inn and gathered in Sonia's room.

"..."

No one spoke first.

Sonia, Rombel, and Elbridge were each lost in thought. As usual, Marcus watched the others carefully.

He noticed that Elbridge was more downcast than usual.

There was only one reason Elbridge would look like that. Hoping to get the conversation started, Marcus spoke.

"Sir Elbridge. If you're going to look so gloomy, why did you kill Gareth?"

Elbridge's reply came after a short pause.

"I thought it was for the best."

"For the best? For whom?"

Elbridge gave a vague answer.

"Sir Leonhardt once told me something. If I couldn't become someone so upright that I could reject every compromise, I should become someone flexible. But Gareth was neither upright nor flexible."

There were a few truly upright people in the world, and many more who swayed this way and that.

Those who were perfectly upright never wavered, no matter the circumstances.

They would rather die than commit wrongdoing, so they never needed to forgive themselves.

Those who swayed and bent, on the other hand, committed countless wrongs.

Still, they knew how to forgive themselves. Whether they continued making mistakes or strove to make up for them differed from person to person, but with time, they could cast off their guilt.

Then there were those who belonged to neither group.

Those who were neither upright nor flexible.

They committed wrongs because they were not upright. Yet they couldn't forgive themselves because they didn't bend easily, either. All that remained for them was guilt that gnawed at them until the day they died.

Gareth had been that kind of person.

Someone burdened by such deep guilt that he couldn't even look the ignorant crowd in the eye.

Someone who had looked relieved when Selene said she would kill him.

Someone who couldn't ask for one more chance when Elbridge gave him a final opportunity.

Elbridge hadn't explained all of that in detail, so Marcus didn't fully understand what he meant.

"I don't think I'm that slow on the uptake... but I don't really understand what you're trying to say."

As Elbridge considered whether to explain further, Rombel spoke.

"Marcus. You don't need to understand another person's thoughts perfectly. Everyone judges things differently. But one thing is certain."

"What's certain?"

"When Elbridge asked Gareth if he had any last words, if that bastard had asked for a chance to make up for what he did, Elbridge would've spared him nine times out of ten. Elbridge acts firm, but he's secretly soft-hearted."

At that moment, a new voice came from the window.

"Even if you had spared Gareth, nothing would've changed. He would've died by my hand."

The elf Selene was sitting on the windowsill.

She climbed into the room as she spoke.

"The moment Gareth woke up, I told him I was going to kill him. Sparing him was never an option."

"You're quite decisive."

Selene replied sharply to Marcus.

"Of course I am. Countless elves died because he failed to fulfill his role as a Watcher. And his reason for causing something that terrible was nothing more than wanting people's recognition and respect? How am I supposed to forgive someone who failed to do their duty for such a pathetic reason? An act can be a sin, but inaction can also be a sin."

"Did that many elves die?"

"More elves have died since last spring than in the previous two hundred years."

Elves lived long lives. The loss and emptiness left behind by their deaths lasted just as long.

That was why elves never forgot vengeance.

"If the Watcher hadn't noticed the danger... I could forgive that. Anyone can make mistakes. But he noticed the danger and kept his mouth shut. From that point on, it was deliberate."

Marcus understood what Rombel meant when he said there was no need to perfectly understand another person's thoughts.

Everyone's circumstances differed. What they valued, their standards, and their conclusions all differed. It was never a question with one correct answer. It was simply a difference in choice.

Marcus let out a small sigh.

"Anyway, why are you here? The job's finished, so why aren't you heading back to Thornbush Forest?"

"What do you mean, finished? It's only beginning. Anyway, I came because I wanted to ask you something."

"What are you curious about?"

"What do you plan to do from here on out?"

Rombel turned away. Elbridge remained lost in thought, while Sonia stared intently at Marcus.

As if pushed into answering, Marcus replied.

"I suppose we'll go find the Master of the Central Magic Tower...?"

But there was no confidence in his voice.

It was a rare occurrence for the God of Fox Rain to send down an oracle warning them of danger.

Even if they found the Master of the Central Magic Tower, Marcus couldn't clearly picture what would come next.

Elbridge, Marcus, and Rombel knew little about the Master of the Central Magic Tower. They had met only once in Middlemarch.

There was just one person who knew the Master of the Central Magic Tower well: Sonia.

Marcus asked Sonia, "Sonia. What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Master of the Central Magic Tower. Are you going to leave the Master alone, or are you going to take revenge?"

"I did respect the Tower Master... No. The Master of the Central Magic Tower. But I don't intend to make the Master an exception to my revenge. I'll look for a chance to get revenge."

Sonia answered without hesitation. Sonia must have reached that conclusion after agonizing over it countless times these past few days.

After all, it had only been a few months since Sonia saw what had become of Viscount Dickens. It was far too soon for Sonia's hatred and anger to fade.

"Then, Sonia, is there a way for us to kill the Master of the Central Magic Tower?"

"That... I'm not sure. If the Master of the Central Magic Tower has noticed our intentions, I don't think it's possible."

The Master of the Central Magic Tower was at the very top of the Central Magic Tower, and the Central Magic Tower stood in the heart of Middlemarch, a great city.

Could they really push through Middlemarch's countless people, reach the Magic Tower, break through it, kill the Master of the Central Magic Tower, and then escape?

'...That seems difficult.'

Even if they gave up on escaping, it would be the same. Could they even reach the Master of the Central Magic Tower?

And even if they miraculously came face-to-face with the Master of the Central Magic Tower, could they eliminate the Master?

Could they kill a great mage who had ascended to heaven, someone who had once been a god?

Marcus's voice grew quieter.

"I'm telling you now, I'd rather survive even if we can't kill the Master of the Central Magic Tower... than kill the Master and die myself."

"What? What kind of cowardly talk is that?"

When Selene rebuked him, Marcus answered hesitantly.

"I haven't really lost anything because of the Master of the Central Magic Tower. I joined this group more out of loyalty and the oracle than a sense of duty."

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Rombel reacted similarly.

"If I could kill the Master of the Central Magic Tower and become a god, I could risk death. But if not, I don't want to take on such an enormous risk. I have to become a god."

"So the point is that the risk is too great compared to what you can gain?"

"That's right."

In the end, every choice was decided by weighing what one would gain against what one would lose.

The same was true of revenge and life.

Selene made a suggestion.

"Then why don't you come to Thornbush Forest with me?"

"You're saying you'll let us into Thornbush Forest?"

"Yes."

Thornbush Forest was the elves' home and their most sacred forest.

It was the only forest personally watched over by the Goddess of Thornbush, a forest containing a sacred tree and protected by Sentinels.

Outsiders were almost always denied entry. Even Elbridge, when he had been active in the north, had only set foot on the outskirts of Thornbush Forest. Rombel's situation wasn't much different.

Selene stared at Elbridge.

"I thought your name sounded familiar. Elbridge, you're the Paladin who was sealed together with an Archdemon, right?"

"Yes."

"I remember seeing you when I was young. The same goes for you, Rombel. If you're as skilled as that, the Sentinel will accept you. I don't really want to say this in front of outsiders... but Thornbush Forest hasn't been in very good shape lately."

Sentinel meant guardian. Non-elves called them guardians or Sentinels, but elves didn't use the term guardian.

At that point, Marcus cut into Selene's explanation.

"Wait. I know it's a bit presumptuous for an insignificant hanger-on like me to say this, but shouldn't we first consider what we can gain by entering Thornbush Forest, rather than whether you'll let us in?"

It was a coldly logical point.

Selene answered proudly.

"Of course you'll gain plenty. You want to eliminate the Master of the Central Magic Tower, don't you? When it comes to that, no one is more dependable than the Sentinel."

"Why?"

"The Master of the Central Magic Tower was once a god, right? One of the Sentinels was called to heaven after earning recognition for fighting against a god in the past."

Fighting against a god.

Elbridge knew which era she was referring to.

The distant past, before the Heavenly Council even existed.

A time when demons didn't exist in the world, when gods freely trampled upon those who lived on the ground.

That Sentinel was likely older than most gods.

"And as far as I know, there is no elf wiser than the Sentinel. The Sentinel may not only tell you how to deal with the Master of the Central Magic Tower, but might even know how to lure the Master out of the Magic Tower. I can't be certain, though..."

Selene's tone was strangely uncertain. Still, even taking that uncertainty into account, Selene's proposal was tempting.

But such an extraordinary offer couldn't come for free.

Elbridge spoke.

"What do you want from us?"

"I told you. Thornbush Forest's situation hasn't been good lately. But the Sentinel can't leave Thornbush Forest, so there are limits to what the Sentinel can do about the problems around it."

Selene looked over Elbridge's group.

"But you can move freely in and out of Thornbush Forest. We can help each other. There probably aren't many people in the world as capable as you these days. And if you eliminate the Master of the Central Magic Tower... that will clearly help us as well."

Elbridge weighed the gains and losses once more.

He didn't need to think for long.

His group's goal and the elves' goal pointed in the same direction.

With the elves' and the Sentinel's help, they would have more to gain, and the risks would lessen at least somewhat.

Elbridge looked around.

Rombel and Sonia gave small nods. Marcus, on the other hand, looked unconvinced. He didn't like getting involved in major affairs or incidents.

Still, as usual, Marcus had no intention of opposing Elbridge's decision.

"...Since when did you make decisions by watching my reaction? Do whatever you want."

Elbridge answered.

"All right. We'll go with you."

Footnotes:

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